When
Graham Nash and the rest of his Hollies bandmates are inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, Nash will join very select
company—15 other artists, to be precise—in entering the
Rock Hall twice.
Even though Spinner kidded with the Manchester, England, native
about this being no big deal, Nash assured us that, on the contrary,
this is a huge occasion for him, one he could not be more excited
about. In fact, it's partly because the harmony-rich Hollies, famous
for '60s and '70s hits that include 'Bus Stop,' 'He Ain't Heavy, He's
My Brother' and 'Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress,' have waited 21
years since they were first eligible. Also, because of Nash's friendship
with Hollies lead vocalist Allan Clarke, which dates back to very
early childhood, he admitted the second induction is even more significant
for him than when he joined his friends David Crosby and Stephen Stills
of Crosby, Stills and Nash in being inducted in 1997.
As he prepared for his second time around, Nash spoke about the
debt of gratitude he owes to Little Steven Van Zandt, why he doubted
the Hollies would ever get to this point, and the prospect of playing
with Maroon 5 at the induction ceremony.
We're speaking today about your induction Monday night
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, although at this point this is
old hat to you.
Yeah, but I am so thrilled for the Hollies. I thoroughly believe
that they deserve to be honored this way. And I'm particularly thrilled
for my friend Allan Clarke, the lead singer of the Hollies, who, not
only is he one of the most underrated lead singers but he's been my
friend since I was 5 years old. And we're gonna stand on the stage
at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and accept this fantastic award.
This is gonna be a dream for him, and it's a dream for me, too.
Does the fact you've known each other so long make it
that much more special?
I kind of expected Crosby, Stills and Nash to be in there at some
point, and I always dreamed that the Hollies would. And it's been
many years coming. They were first eligible in 1989, which is, I think,
25 years after our first recording, but the Hollies being inducted
actually means a little more to me than CSN.
Why is that?
I'm not so sure that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thought that
the Hollies were rock 'n' roll enough. I didn't think they appreciated
the musical history of the band. We had so many hits and sold so many
millions of records, but the time has come and I have to thank [Rolling
Stone publisher and Rock Hall co-founder] Jann Wenner and Little
Steven for pushing the Hollies' nomination, particularly Little Steven.
And I think Steve Van Zandt is going to present us with the award.
What is your history with Steven?
I've known him for many years, of course; not well, but known him
for years. And he has been a real fan of the Hollies from the very
beginning, always playing the Hollies' music on his radio show [Little
Steven's Underground Garage]. He's been a big fan for a long
time.
He always has great taste.
[Laughs] Ah, thank you.
If you only know Steve a bit, you'll be listening to
this speech as an anxious fan, like everybody else.
That's right, but he's a very eloquent man. When we did the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame TV show, I did a historic interview about music
for Little Steven, and he was most generous and fun.
This is an incredibly eclectic class, with every act
coming from a different era or genre of music. How does that inspire
you musically?
I'm gonna sit there at the table as a fan. I've always thought that
Abba should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'm not a great
lover of their music, but I certainly can appreciate their importance
to music. I'm gonna be a fan, I'm gonna sit there watching all these
people perform and then get up off my ass and perform myself.
As a fan what are you looking forward to seeing?
I'd like to see what Genesis are up to. They were always a very,
very interesting band.
Going back to your teenage self, could you have ever
imagined you'd be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
You've got to understand, I'm still this kid from the suburbs of
Manchester in the north of England. This is all wild to me. I'm still
a huge rock 'n' roll fan; I love good music, and that night is gonna
be pretty special, I think.
Has it sunk in that you're being inducted now for a second
time?
There are so many of my heroes, my own musical heroes, in the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame that [the fact] they think that Graham Nash
should be in there twice is astounding to me.
Yeah, you're in very select company now.
David [Crosby], Stephen [Stills], and Neil [Young] and me and Eric
[Clapton] and Paul [McCartney]. I can't think of anybody else. Not
bad at all. [Editor's Note: There are 16 multiple inductees, with
John Lennon, Jeff Beck, Johnny Carter of the Dells and the Flamingos,
George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Curtis Mayfield, Clyde McPhatter,
Jimmy Page, Paul Simon, and Sammy Strain of Little Anthony and the
Imperials and the O'Jays also being inducted twice; Clapton is the
only triple inductee.] It still feels amazing to me.
Where were you when you heard the Hollies were selected?
I was in my house in Los Angeles working on some artwork and I got
a call from my agent, and he said as of this morning I was in the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
How quickly did you spread the word?
Immediately. I was the only one that knew, so immediately my first
e-mail was to Allan.
And what was his response?
His response was, "About bloody time" [laughs].
Tell us about your performance and what we can expect.
Bobby [Elliott] and Tony [Hicks] are on tour and can't be there.
Allan Clarke can't sing anymore, but he's gonna be up there playing
tambourine and guitar. And I think we'll do 'Bus Stop' and 'Carrie-Anne'
and maybe 'Long Cool Woman' in the jam at the end. That's going to
be playing with Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael from Maroon 5 and
the Paul Shaffer band.
When was the last time you and Allan were on stage together?
[It was] 1983. And then we did that Buddy Holly song about 10 years
ago. He could sing then, but right after that he lost his voice and
quit the band. But I'm so pleased for my friend Allan Clarke, I can't
tell you.
Did you have any words of wisdom for him on how to handle
the night?
No, I think I'm just going to have him enjoy the night because it
will be very special for him.
